Papers and Pie
by RunOutOfWit
Summary: Dean can think of a thousand other things he'd rather be doing besides writing a term paper. High School AU and fluff.


Dean doesn't get what the point is of this stupid term paper. Who has time to write fifteen pages on the morals of _Our Town_? Or the patience? Definitely not Dean Winchester, he can tell you that. He stares blankly at his fourth paragraph, feeling like he's been sitting here for hours and made no progress—which he hasn't, really, unless you count writing, deleting, and rewriting the same sentence over and over as 'progress.'

What's even worse is that tonight was his and Castiel's one-year anniversary. Dean had had this whole thing set up: take him back to the diner where they'd had their first date, then drive them down to the field in Beverly where they could lay on the hood of the Impala and watch the stars (which could maybe devolve into making out at some point). It was going to be great, but here Dean was, working on a stupid paper that he should have done ages ago, and getting nothing done.

He jerks when there's a knock at the door, feeling suddenly guilty that he hasn't been able to write anything down. Looking up, he sees his mother pushing open the door just enough to stick her head in and give him a sympathetic smile.

"Hey, honey, how's it going?" she asks.

Dean glances at his computer screen and sighs. "Uh, it's fine. I'll get it done."

She nods, and her smile brightens a bit more when she says, "Castiel's at the door. Do you want me to send him up?"

"What?" Dean blinks, surprised. "Uh, yeah, of course."

Mary grants him another smile and then turns away. A few minutes pass, and he can hear the gentle pattering of feet coming up the stairs and then down the hall to his room. Dean takes the few seconds of privacy to rub his face, trying to wake up a bit and hoping he doesn't smell too rancid or anything. The door pushes open, and then there's Cas standing in his doorway, holding something beautiful in his hands that makes Dean's eyes widen in lust.

"C-cas, what are you doing here?" he asks, licking his lips and directing his gaze to his boyfriend's.

"I thought you might like a break from writing," he says. Castiel takes a few paces so he's standing next to Dean, and then offers the beautiful object in his hands to him. "I baked you apple pie. I thought it might be a welcome relief. I thought I might stay for a few minutes, but if you really need to get to work…"

Dean doesn't let him finish. He stands up and grabs either side of his boyfriend's face, pulling him in for a hard kiss on the lips. He's grinning when he pulls back, Cas smiling sheepishly.

"You're perfect, you know that?" Dean says. "Come on. Help me eat this."

They end up curled up on his bed, eating pie off of plastic plates he managed to get from his mom. The television is playing one of their favorite episodes of Star Trek, and they've seen it so many times that it's easy to chat right over it and still know exactly what line is about to come up.

"Hey, I'm sorry for not being able to go out tonight," Dean apologizes as he finishes the last bite of his second piece of pie.

"No worries," Cas says, smiling up at him. "I've enjoyed myself tonight. We can do something this weekend."

There's a tender warmth conveyed as they stare at each other a moment, one that fills Dean to the brim and makes him bubble with a happiness that he's not used to. They finish the episode, Dean's arm slung over the other teen and his boyfriend's head using his chest as a convenient pillow. When it's finished, he turns his face up and pecks Dean on the jaw.

"I believe that is my cue to leave. You still have work to do."

Dean groans in defiance, hooking his arm around Castiel's waist and trying to reign him back in. "One more episode?"

The brunette laughs and shakes his head. "I don't think so. We can have a marathon tomorrow night, though, if you wish."

Getting to their feet, Dean grabs the dishes and sets them in a pile on his desk.

"Fine," he concedes.

They come together for a moment, pressing their lips together for a few seconds before tearing away.

"I love you," Castiel whispers, with perfect sincerity that makes the other want to melt.

"Yeah. I love you, too," he murmurs back.

He manages to sneak one more kiss in before Cas tears away, picking up the remaining half a pie. The look of affection suddenly drains away from Dean, and he feels betrayed as Castiel starts to head out the door with it.

"Woah, wait, I thought it was for me. Where are you taking it?" he asks, mouth agape.

"You can have the rest tomorrow, when you're finished with your paper," Cas says, barely containing his smirk. "Think of it as incentive." Those are his last words before he leaves, closing the bedroom door behind him.

Dean gets his paper done pretty fast after that. Another four hours (hey, that's pretty quick for ten pages!), and he's finally putting the finishing touches on his paper. It's two in the morning, sure, but he can print it off and go to bed, knowing that two streets over is a boy with homemade apple pie and the kind of love and affection Dean doesn't think he deserves, waiting for him. That's enough to put him straight to sleep and into pleasant dreams.


End file.
